Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Basics- Cleaning Your Face


We've all seen commercials for different facial cleansers. A model with perfectly clear skin and highlights and contours in all the right places. The model is almost always in her early twenties, has her hair pulled back, and elegantly washes her face with the cleanser and washes clean with a perfect spray of water. Realistically, this is completely opposite of us average people. Cleaning your face is something that you need to do frequently, and it's hardly ever elegant. Plus we're all dealing with different issues with our face- a wrinkle here and there, a zit that is coming to a head, a spot where the acne is gone but the mark remains, a scar from a fight with a dog when we were 5, etc. Here I give you the low down on how to really wash your face. This isn't a commercial, so feel free to get a little messy.

Prep: Make sure if you have long hair to pull it back away from your face. Your hair contain oils as well as product (usually) and if you get it wet, it can transfer to your face. A lot of us have had the issue of acne or clogged pores along our hair line- this is usually caused by transfer of product or conditioner from our hair to our face. Plus if you just meticulously flat ironed your hair, the last thing you want to do is ruin your hard work by getting it wet. Usually a high ponytail can get all of your hair in if it's long. If you have shorter hair, or bangs, feel free to use clips or bobby pins to set it back.
If you are washing your face with a cleanser containing benzoyl peroxide (usually listed as the active ingredient on the front or on the back of the bottle), make sure you are wearing a white top or old t-shirt. Benzoyl peroxide bleaches almost all fabrics that come in contact. Common products that have benzoyl peroxide are the Proactiv system, most Clean and Clear products, and other acne cleansers. If it contains salicylic acid, it won't bleach your fabrics but I still recommend an older t-shirt as it can affect the fibers in your clothes.

Choosing a cleanser: Most teenagers and women in their twenties go through many different cleansers. In my opinion, the younger you are, the more likely you are going to pick a harsher cleanser because they are actively trying to banish oil and clear acne. This is actually counter productive because harsher cleansers affect the oil and ph balance of your skin. By zapping oil, your skin actively tries to produce more oil to replace what you got rid of. Oil serves a purpose on our skin- it protects us from natural environmental elements, it protects the outer layer of cells from damage, and it traps dirt and bacteria before it can enter our system. No matter what your skin type is, choose a cleanser that doesn't leave your skin feeling tight afterwards. You may need to wash your face twice if you have super oily skin.
If you are older or have dry skin, choose a cream or lotion cleanser as they don't typically contain harsher cleansers such as sodium lauryl sulfate or glycerine. If you have dry skin and are trying to combat acne, you often have to choose between an acne face wash or gentle face wash. Choose the gentle face wash instead to combat dryness and apply an acne treatment lotion afterwards only on spots that need treatment.

Wetting your face: Make sure your water temperature is warm- not hot! If you could see yourself sinking into a tub of this warm water, it's probably warm enough. Spend about 30 seconds thoroughly splashing your face with warm water- this will help open the pores and help remove surface oils. Then massage your skin for about 30 seconds. This helps increase blood circulation to your face and also can manually help open pores. Particularly focus on your T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and areas that you have spotting and discoloration.
Increasing blood circulation on your face can help with many things. First of all, as blood begins to move through your system, it picks up the left-over impurities metabolized by cells. It also carries oxygen to your cells allowing them to do their work. Blood also carries heat and helps open the pores further. This is also good for those of us combating wrinkles because it helps maintain nerve function and essentially becomes a workout for the muscles of our face.

Cleaning: Apply cleanser to the pads of your fingers and work the product in your hands first. This helps warm the product and begins to create a lather (some products will not lather, especially lotions and creams). Massage the product into the skin of your face. A lot of people only wash their face until they see lather. Think of it this way- you spend $10 on a cleanser, and because you're stopping at the half-way mark, you essentially are washing most of the product down the drain without it doing its complete job. Take about a minute or two really massaging the product into your skin. This helps the product get into the pores, kill bacteria and treat whatever acne is secretly lying beneath or that is present on the surface of your skin. Make sure you spend time on your hairline, near your ears, along your jaw (as well as beneath), and down towards your neck. Commercials never show the model going this far but this is essential real estate to your face. Rinse your face with warm water for thirty seconds to a minute. You can then switch to cold water to close the pores, or if you are going to apply a face mask afterwards you can simply pat the skin dry and go to town with a mask. If you are doing an extraction, you should find that pores are able to be extracted easier. In any case, if you are done with cleaning, make sure you pat the skin dry. Rubbing with a towel can cause the cotton fibers to become imbedded in the skin and is usually too harsh on the skin.

That's it! Enjoy your clean face!

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